This invention relates to pipe saddle assemblies and more particularly to such assemblies comprising a unique insert providing improved sealing and ease of installation.
Pipe saddle assemblies, or service saddles as they are commonly called, are principally used for branch connections when connecting a secondary pipe line or service lateral into, for example, an underground water line. The saddles are generally assembled in the field and usually in highly confined areas within a ditch Further, they must often be attached to the main line when such line is under high fluid pressure
Various methods and assemblies for making such connections are known in the art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,050,985 and 2,100,884 of W. W. Trickey where a specially designed insert is bolted into the saddle assembly Valenziano, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,939 employs a hardenable plastic and a fluid tight chamber over the region of the proposed tap so the outside of the tapping region can be subjected to the same pressure in the main pipe. Dunmire, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,839, employs an insert-type outlet arrangement which requires a specially designed insert which is necessary to prevent outward spreading of the insert and deformation of the threaded portion utilized in connecting the secondary pipe.